And in 50, the 2016 Toyota Prius will make a play of its own, starring in a 60-second ad that will air Feb. 7 during America’s biggest sporting event … which Toyota failed to name in a press release as the Super Bowl.

Those guys up there, they didn’t deliver the biggest plays on the biggest stage by accident. No, they worked at it, bled for it. They practiced and practiced until it just came naturally. They had swagger, sure, but how could they not? When you do what you do for so long, great performances just become second nature.

And we’re not saying Prius is going to outshine those other performances – actually, maybe we are. But with 50-plus miles per gallon and a sleek new design, Toyota has a little extra swagger with this icon.

So let’s talk about the Prius. Toyota brought it to market in Japan in 1997, and to the United States in 2000. And since then, it’s been improvement after improvement. Now comes the fourth generation with a longer, sleeker exterior, a low center of gravity, and world-changing technology that will toss everything you thought you knew about Prius driving out the window.

You see, this is big. And the only stage big enough to handle this Prius is 50, the game so big roman numerals can’t do it justice anymore.

“We can’t wait to show off this Prius on the world’s biggest stage,” said Jack Hollis, Toyota’s group vice president of marketing.

So what did you expect? You don’t run ads for a car like this as some late night infomercial. No, you go to the biggest stage, where more than 100 million people can gather round, wide-eyed and drop-jawed in between scoops of guacamole dip.

Following its world debut at January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the all-new 2017 Honda Ridgeline is set to debut on television to well over 100 million viewers on Sun., Feb. 7, during the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl 50. Honda will execute activations across several platforms, screens and Internet properties to promote the ad and the 2017 Honda Ridgeline.

“The big game is the largest and most coveted stage to show the world that Honda is back in a big way with an all-new Ridgeline truck,” said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Automobile Division. “Super Bowl 50 is the right time and the right venue to communicate Honda’s continued leadership in light trucks. The multiplatform approach will enable Ridgeline to come out of the gate strong in 2016.”

The all-new 2017 Ridgeline television spot marks the Honda brand’s first official Super Bowl commercial since 2014’s “Hugfest” promoting Honda safety, which generated significant social engagement during and after the big game.

The all-new Ridgeline is slated to launch in the first half of 2016 at Honda dealerships nationwide, and will join Honda’s expanded lineup of innovative light truck models, including the HR-V crossover, the CR-V and Pilot SUVs and the Odyssey minivan. Honda is on track to earn a new all-time record for light truck sales in 2015, with sales up 11.8 percent to nearly 600,000 units through the end of November.

The Ridgeline is being developed by Honda’s North American design and engineering teams in Ohio and California, and will be produced at its Lincoln, Alabama, auto and engine plant, alongside the Pilot and Odyssey.

Honda introduced the award-winning first-generation Ridgeline in 2005 and earned high praise for its unique features and capabilities, including the industry’s first In-Bed Trunk and Dual Action Tailgate, as well as its superior on-road manners and spacious, flexible interior. The original Ridgeline was named 2006 Motor Trend Truck of the year and 2006 North American Truck of the Year and topped J.D. Power and Associates’ Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study in the midsize pickup segment for three consecutive years.

The all-electric BMW i3 will be featured in a 60-second TV commercial during this year’s Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – BMW announced plans to feature the all-electric BMW i3 in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. After a 4-year hiatus, BMW will be returning to the big game with a commercial during the first quarter.

“As one in three Americans will tune in to watch the Super Bowl, we are thrilled to use this platform to educate viewers on the importance of electric mobility,” said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. “Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy.”

BMW i is BMW’s forward-looking and sustainable brand dedicated to solving many of the mobility challenges faced by the world’s most densely populated cities. The BMW i3 is the first of the BMW i vehicles constructed from the ground up primarily of carbon fiber. Currently available in the U.S., the BMW i3 has a starting MSRP of $43,350 (Including $950 Destination and Handling), and the range-extender model has a starting MSRP of $47,200 (Including $950 Destination and Handling).

BY GERRY MILES

If you need to know how big a first impression is in the marketing world, one might watch the red carpet arrival for the Oscars as Hollywood shows off to itself and the world.

There are numerous other award shows with their outrageous costume arrivals and acts, such as Lady Gaga or Miley Cyrus who seems to have upstaged even Madonna in her prime.

In the world of TV commercials, the National Football League’s Super Bowl is king.

For the seventh straight year, Hyundai is betting (hypothetically of course) that the two 30-second spots it has booked for the Feb. 2, 2014 extravaganza will pay big dividends.

“The Super Bowl is the ultimate stage for showcasing the Hyundai brand and our vehicles,” said Steve Shannon, vice president, Marketing, Hyundai Motor America. “We look forward to being a part of advertising’s biggest day again and we can’t wait to show off our new ads and industry-leading products.”

Advertising strategies and treatments are still being developed the company reported. “We’re not quite ready to discuss which vehicles we’ll be featuring,” said Shannon. “But as football fever begins again across the country, we couldn’t wait any longer to let everyone know that we’ll be back for Super Bowl XLVIII.”

Come on, get happy was a tagline from the Partridge Family and it makes a reappearance in this Sunday’s Super Bowl spot from Volkswagen, called “Get Happy”.

However many people are reportedly upset that the man character sports a Jamaican accent while he tries to turn his fellow workers’ frowns upside down. His efforts ultimately win over his stody boss, naturally. Whether you’re offended or not is up to you. Seeing that most of the spots in commercials and the Super Bowl with its wide audience go for humor and specifically satire, I say it lands squarely in the satire slot. Hands down. It just breaks the neat and tidy rules.

Here’s part of the official VW presser.

“The Big Game presents an unparalleled creative opportunity to represent the Volkswagen brand,” said Tim Mahoney, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “We’re excited to reveal this year’s campaign, “Get In. Get Happy.”, which is designed to bring a jolt of happiness to viewers’ daily lives.”

Volkswagen’s 2013 Game Day commercial, “Get Happy” features a man who brightens up his dreary office environment with a positive attitude and inexplicable Caribbean accent.

The 60-second spot builds on Volkswagen’s heritage of “human stories, told simply,” and will serve as a thematic continuation of the brand’s feel good ads including “Smiles,” which first premiered last September, and last year’s Big Game commercial “The Dog Strikes Back,” named by Google as one of 2012’s leading ads on YouTube.

“With ‘Get Happy,’ we set out to create a lighthearted and energetic ad to represent the positive energy and sunny disposition that only the Beetle and Volkswagen can deliver,” said Mike Sheldon, CEO, Deutsch LA, Volkswagen of America’s creative Agency of Record. “We are thrilled to bring the Volkswagen brand essence to life on America’s biggest stage.”

Volkswagen teased its 2013 Game Day campaign with a pre-game release on January 24th. “Sunny Side” features well-known YouTube sensations singing along with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jimmy Cliff, all learning how to “C’mon, Get Happy.”

Jimmy Cliff’s latest critically acclaimed album REBIRTH was recently nominated for a GRAMMY award and listed as one of the top 50 albums of 2012 by Rolling Stone.